Film handling improvement

ABSTRACT

A self-processing film unit is provided at its leading end with a transverse stiffening bar to facilitate handling of the film unit in photographic processing apparatus. The bar is adapted to be engaged by a film feeding member in the apparatus to move the film unit into the nip between a pair of processing members. The bar also prevents undesirable transverse flexing of the leading end of the film unit when it is directed longitudinally in an arcuate path after passing through the processing members.

United States Patent [1 1 Harvey Apr. 16, 1974 FILM HANDLING IMPROVEMENT3,694,206 9/1972 Downey 96/76 R [75] Inventor: Donald M. Harvey,Webster, NY.

Primary Examiner-Ronald H. Smith [73] Asslgnee: 5 T lg Y Cnmpany,Assistant ExaminerJohn L. Goodrow 0c ester,

[22] Filed: July 5, 1972 [57] ABSTRACT [21] Appl. No.: 268,940 Aself-processing film unit is provided at its leading end with atransverse stiffening bar to facilitate handling of the film unit inphotographic processing appa- 7 l fi g 96/ g ratus. The bar is adaptedto be engaged by a film feed- [58] Fieid 76 R 29 ing member in theapparatus to move the film unit into the nip between a pair ofprocessing members. The bar also prevents undesirable transverse flexingof [56] References Cited v the leading end of the film unit when it isdirected lon- UNITED STATES PATENTS gitudinally in an arcuate path afterpassing through the 3,636,845 H1972 Harvey 96/76 C processing members3,680,456 8/1972 Nerwin 96/76 R 3,672,272 6/1972 Cole 96/76 R 13 Claims,11 Drawing Figures PATENTEHAPR '16 m4 SHEEI 1 [If 4 PATENTEUAPR 1s ism3304.627

SHEET 2 BF 4 36 39 FIG. 4

PATENIEDAPR 16 I974 saw 3 or 4 PA DAPR 161974 I 3.804.627

m u or 4 FIG. IO

LL/l 1 FILM HANDLING IMPROVEMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The presentinvention relates to means for facilitating the handling ofself-processing film units in photographic processing apparatus. Moreparticularly, the invention provides the leading end of aself-processing film unit with a transverse stiffening bar, or the like,through which movement and location of the film unit can be moreaccurately controlled in apparatus such as a processing camera.

The present invention is illustrated with a selfprocessing film unit ofthe general type disclosed in my commonly assigned U.S. Pat. applicationSer. No. 111,471, entitled FILM UNIT, filed on Feb. 1, 1971 and nowabandoned. Briefly, such a film unit comprises an image-recordingsection, a container or pod for supplying a processing fluid to theimage-recording section, a collector or trap for receiving any excess ofthe processing fluid from the image-recording section, and a flexiblebut resilient carrier or card. The imagerecording section is adapted torecord a latent image that is processable by the processing fluid, andalso to support a visibly presentable image, such as a photographicprint, that is established during such processing. The carrier or cardis releasably coupled to the image-recording section and, in turn,releasably couples the container or pod and the collector or trap to theleading and trailing ends of the image-recording section, respectively.

The above-mentioned film unit is especially adapted for use in aprocessing camera that effects the recording of the latent image byexposing the image-recording section of the film unit to a scene. Thecamera then initiates processing of the latent image by applying theprocessing fluid to the image-recording section, with any excess beingdirected into the collector or trap. This latter function isaccomplished by feeding the film unit into and between a pair ofjuxtaposed pressureapplying members. Once processing has been initiated,the container or pod and the collector or trap have served their primaryfunctions, and preferably are removed so they will not detract from theaesthetic appearance of the final visibly presentable image or print.They also preferably are collected and stored by the camera to reducethe likelihood of any harm to the environment. A processing camera ofthe abovementioned type is disclosed, for example, in my commonlyassigned U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. l 1 1,467, entitledPHOTOGRAPI-IIC APPARATUS, filed on Feb. I, 1971 and now abandoned.

Referring again to the resiliently flexible carrier or card, itspurposes can be many and varied, depending on the manner of using thefilm unit and the apparatus in which it is used. In the above-mentionedapparatus, and by way of example only, the carrier or card can providemeans other than manually pulled leaders for facilitating feeding of thefilm unit into the mechanism for initiating its processing. The carrieror card also can be used to facilitate separation of the container orpod and the collector or trap from the image-recording section, as wellas further movement or other handling of such separated materials duringtheir storage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION I now have found that significant improvementscan be made, and further utilization of advantages can be realized, byproviding the above-mentioned and certain related types of film unitswith narrow stiffening means, extending transversely at their leadingends or sections, to prevent any substantial transverse flexing of theleading ends without substantially interfering with longitudinal flexingthereof. The invention has particular utility with film units that aretransportable by camera mechanisms (rather than manually pulled leaders,or the like) and especially with such film units having parts, such asthe processing materials, that are intended to be separated from otherparts, such as the image-recording section, after processing of the filmunit has been initiated.

An object of the present invention is to provide improved means forfacilitating the handling of selfprocessing film units.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for facilitating thelocation and transporting of selfprocessing film units in photographicprocessing apparatus, and especially such film units that aretransportable by camera mechanisms rather than manually pulled leaders.

Still another object of the invention is to improve and further utilizethe advantages of self-processing film units having a container and/or acollector for a processing fluid that are adapted to be stripped fromthe image-recording section of the film unit after processing of thefilm unit has been initiated.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the film unit includes aresiliently flexible carrier or card that releasably couples a containerof a processing fluid to an image-recording section of the unit. Thestiffening means comprises a substantially rigid transverse bar, appliedto the leading end of the carrier or card, that is adapted to be engagedby the feeding mechanism of associated photographic apparatus foreffecting movement of the film unit into a pressure-applying mechanismof the apparatus. The bar also is adapted to be engaged by spacedguiding shoes of the apparatus, after passing through thepressure-applying mechanism, for directing the container and the carrieror card in an arcuate path to a waste collecting and storage chamber. Atthe same time, the image-recording section is adapted to move in asubstantially straight-line path to strip or separate theimage-recording section from the container and carrier. In accordancewith one feature of the illustrated embodiment, the carrier or cardextends entirely under the image-recording section and a collector forreceiving any excess of the processing fluid also is attached to thecard, at its trailing end, and also is adapted to be directed in anarcuate path for stripping or separating the collector from the imagerecording section.

Various means for practicing the invention and other advantages andnovel features thereof will be apparent from the following detaileddescription of an illustrative preferred embodiment of the invention,reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which likereference characters denote like elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a film unit provided with stiffeningmeans at its leading end in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the film unit depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view, in section, of a portion of theleading end of the film unit depicting the preferred stiffening means;

FIGS. 4-6 correspond generally to FIG. 3 but illustrate alternativeembodiments of the stiffening means in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a film pack including a plurality offilm units of the type illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken longitudinallythrough the film pack depicted in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a perspective schematic view of the film pack illustrated inFIGS. 7 and 8, depicting its relation to certain principal elements of aphotographic processing camera with which the film units have particularutility;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary, partially cross-sectioned, side-elevationalview depicting one stage in the operation of the film unit of FIGS. 1and 2 in the camera of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary, partially cross-sectioned, side-elevationalview depicting another stage in the operation of the camera of FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS Because photographic camerasand film units of the self-processing type are well known, the presentdescription will be directed in particular to elements forming part of,or cooperating directly with, the present invention. Cameras and filmelements not specifically shown or described herein are selectable fromthose known in the prior art.

THE PREFERREDEMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, and first toFIGS. 1 and 2, the preferred embodiment of the present invention isillustrated in a film unit 15. The film unit generally comprises animage-recording portion or section 16 for recording a processable latentimage, a supply mechanism 17 for applying a processing fluid to theimage-recording section, a collecting mechanism 18 for receiving anyexcess of the processing fluid from the image-recording section, and acarrier 19 for supporting the supply and collecting mechanisms and forcoupling the mechanisms to the leading and trailing ends of theimage-recording section.

In operation, the film unit is intended to be exposed in photographicapparatus such as the processing camera schematically depicted in FIG.9. Processing of the film unit then is initiated by passing the filmunit between a pair of juxtaposed pressure-applying members of theapparatus that effect a distribution of the processing fluid from thesupply mechanism to the imagerecording section, with any excess beingreceived in the collecting mechanism. Soon after passing between thepressure-applying members, the carrier is directed in an arcuate pathaway from the image-recording section, to separate or strip theimage-recording section from the carrier and the supply and collectingmechanisms, which then are collected in a storage chamber preferablybehind the position occupied by the film unit before its exposure. Suchseparation or stripping is permitted .by the arrangement of the variousfilm unit elements, and by the nature of the couplings between suchelements, as will be described more fully hereinafter.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the imagerecording section is of thepreregistered, integral type comprising a photosensitive element orfirst sheet 20 and a transparent second element or process sheet 22,which are permanently secured together along their lateral marginaledges. The terms preregistered and integral are used in the presentapplication in reference to film units of the type where thephotosensitive element and the process sheet are superposed prior toexposure, preferably at some stage during the manufacture of the filmunit, and are permanently maintained substantially in that superposed orregistered relation during and after processing.

The photosensitive element and process sheet preferably are rectangularand coextensive with one another, and are permanently secured togetheralong their lateral margins so that their central regions are maintainedin registration, but still are sufficiently separable in their centralregions to permit the distribution of a processing fluid therebetween.

The photosensitive element 20 includes one or more layers ofphotosensitive material for recording a latent image that is processableto establish a visibly presentable image, such as a reflection print. Inthe preferred embodiment, the photosensitive material is adapted to beexposed through the transparent process sheet, from one side of theimage-recording section, and the visibly presentable image isestablished in an image-recording or mordant layer in that samephotosensitive element, where it can be viewed from the other side ofthe image-recording section.

During processing, the photosensitive material is protected from furtherexposure by an opaque layer on one side, between the photosensitivematerial and the image-receiving or mordant layer, and by an opacifierthat is distributed from the supply mechanism 17 onto the other side,between the photosensitive element and the process sheet. Thus, onceprocessing has been initiated, and the opacifier has been distributed,the imagerecording section can be removed from the light-tight confinesof the camera for the completion of processing. Further details of suchan image-recording section are disclosed in German OffenlegungschriftNo. 2,052,145, filed in the name of H. E. Cole and published Apr. 29,1971. Examples of other preregistered, integral film units are disclosedin US. Pat. No. 3,415,644, issued Dec. 10, 1968.

The flexible resilient carrier or card underlies the image-recordingsection and includes extended end portions 23 and 24 that continuebeyond the leading and trailing ends of the image-recording section,respectively, for supporting the fluid supply and collecting mechanisms17 and 18, and also for releasably coupling the supply and collectingmechanisms to the imagerecording section. The supply mechanism ispermanently attached to the carrier, and includes a rupturablecontaining part or pod 28 comprising a rectangular piece ofvapor-impervious sheet material that is folded along one edge and sealedalong its lateral sides. A discharge end 30 (FIG. 2) of the container,or a separate funnel (not shown) extending from the discharge end, isreleasably received between the adjacent leading edges of thephotosensitive element and process sheet. A rupturable seal is providedalong substantially the entire length of the discharge end of thecontainer and is adapted to release the processing fluid from thecontainer upon the application of hydraulic forces generated by passingthe container between a pair of pressure-applying members, as describedbelow.

The fluid collecting mechanism or trap 18 is permanently attached to thecarrier on its trailing end portion 24 and includes amoisture-impermeable trap sheet 32 that releasably overlies the adjacenttrailing end of the image-recording section. Small lifters or spacermembers 34 are bonded to the lateral edges of the trap sheet and to thetrailing end portion of the carrier for defining a void that is suitablefor collecting any excess of the processing fluid that might be extrudedout of the trailing end of the image-recording section duringprocessing.

For reasons to become more apparent hereinafter, the carrier 19 is widerthan the image-recording section and can be provided with perforations36 extending along its lateral edges beyond image-recording section 16.

Referring now more specifically to the present invention in accordancewith the preferred embodiment, the leading end of the film unit isprovided with stiffening means, such as the rigid bar 38, connected tothe leading end of the carrier and extending transversely beyond thelateral edges thereof. The stiffening bar 38 preferably comprises a lowcarbon steel that is formed from sheet stock bent around and crimped tothe leading end of the carrier sheet in a manner assuring its permanentattachment thereto. The steel sheet stock preferably is 0.007 inchesthick, and cooperates with a carrier or card approximately 0.005 inchesthick, to provide an overall thickness of approximately 0.019 inches. Inthe longitudinal direction (indicated by the dimension a in FIG. 3), thebar is relatively narrow, e. anP Qx 19t91x-.-. .5,9 inshes Pr y t morethan 0.250 inches), so that it will not substantially interfere withlongitudinal flexing or bending of the carrier or card during itsintended arcuate movement, e.g., around a radius of approximately 0.187inches. By reference to FIG. 3, it also will be apparent that thestiffening bar is somewhat narrower than the spacing between theadjacent perforations 36, and that the trailing edge of the bar isaligned with or immediately adjacent to the leading end of theforwardmost perforations 39. In the transverse direction, the barextends beyond the lateral edges of the carrier or card by approximately0.120 inches on each side to facilitate engagement of the extendedportion by a camera film-feeding claw described more fully hereinafter.

The bar also is located closely adjacent to the leading end of thecontainer or pod 17 to insure its proper bending. Because the containeror pod usually will include one or more relatively stiff layers, such aslead foil, its proper bending can be difficult to insure. Furtherdetailsand advantages of the stiffening means will be described hereinafter inconnection with the opera tion of the preferred embodiment.

The film units described above have particular utility in a film pack ormagazine 46 comprising a plurality of such units in a casing 48, bestshown in FIGS. 7and 8. The film pack casing is made of plastic or sheetmetal and includes an internal wall 50 that separates the interior ofthe casingintoa forward compartment 52 and a somewhat wider, rearwardstorage or waste collecting compartment 54. A plurality of the filmunits lS are initially housed in the forward casing compartment behindan opaque cover sheet 56 that is substantially identical to theresiliently flexible carrier or card. A pressure plate 58 is locatedrearwardly of the stack of film units and is urged forwardly byresilient leaf springs 60 bearing against internal wall 50 to lightlycompress the stack of film units against the front casing wall 62surrounding exposure window 64. The ends of the stiffening bars of thestacked film units project out of the forward casing compartment throughlateral slots 66, which are joined by a narrow exit opening or slot 68in casing end wall 70 to permit the forwardmost cover sheet or film unitto be slid endwise out of the forward casing compartment. Below the wall70, an opening 72 provides access to the rearward storage compartment54, which is wider than the forward compartment so that it can receivethe cards and their stiff ening bars after the image-recording sectionshave been separated from the carriers during the successive processingoperations.

FIG. 9 schematically illustrates the film pack installed in the camera,with exposure window 64 in rearward alignment with the camera lens 74and with cover sheet 56 in endwise alignment with the nip definedbetween processing or driving roller 76 and processing shoe 78. Roller76 is rotatably supported by its central shaft 80 and includes sprocketteeth 82 at each end adapted to engage the perforations 36 along theedges of the cover sheet and the carrier sheets. Appropriate drivemeans, not shown, are connected to the roller shaft 80 to impartrotation to the roller in the direction shown by arrow 84. Guide shoes86 partially encircle the ends of the driving roller adjacent to itssprocket teeth to maintain the sprocket perforations of the cover sheetand the carrier sheets in driving engagement with the sprockets, asdescribed below. The processing shoe 78 is resiliently biased towardroller 76 by springs 88 to provide firm but resilient pressure betweenthe two processing members.

A feeder member 90 of a first or initial feeding mechanism is slidablysupported on the camera housing by rivets 92 received in slots 94 of apair of arms 96 that straddle the forward film pack compartment adjacentto the stiffening bars of the cover sheet and the film units. A spring98 is attached to the operating bar 100 of the feeder member toresiliently bias it to the retracted position shown in FIG. 9, at whichshoulders 102 on arms 96 engage the trailing edges of the ends of theforwardmost stiffening bar extending beyond the film pack casing throughcasing slots 66. i

To remove the cover sheet from the film pack, the rotation of roller 76is initiated and the operating bar 100 is pulled manually from theexterior of the camera to move the feeder member momentarily from the retracted position shown in FIG. 9 to the extended position shown in FIG.10. This movement causes shoulders 102 of arms 96 to pull the stiffeningbar of the cover sheet into the nip between the two processing membersso that the adjacent two sprocket teeth 82 at each end of the rollerstraddle the bar and enter the adjacent sprocket perforations asillustrated in FIG. 10. The rotation of roller 76 then imparts endwisemovement to the cover sheet, which travels around the roller as thestiffening bar is maintained in engagement with the sprockets by guideshoes 86. When the stiffening bar has moved approximately halfway aroundroller 76, it reaches the end of the arcuate guide shoe faces and isdirected into the rearward casing compartment through opening 72.Because of the positive engagement between the roller sprockets andperforations 36, the continuing rotation of the roller pushes the coversheet into the rearward casing compartment behind resiliently flexibleguide springs 104 until the trailing end of the cover sheet has beendriven beyond engagement with the sprockets of roller 76. Because of thespacing between roller 76 and the adjacent end of the film pack, theroller cannot push the cover sheet all the way into the storagecompartment, but only to the position shown in solid lines in FIG. 11.

To complete the movement of the sheet into the storage compartment, thecamera can be provided with a retracting member 106 that includes a pairof claw fingers 108 extending into the rearward storage compartmentthrough slots 110 in the film pack casing. The retracting member isbiased both rearwardly and toward the corresponding end of the camera bycoil springs 112. By repeatedly pressing and releasing an externallyaccessible operating ear 114, the photographer can impart reciprocatingmovement to the retracting member, whereby at least one pair of clawteeth 1 16 ride past the ends of the adjacent stiffening bar 38 as car112 is depressed, and then engage and pull the bar toward the adjacentend of the storage compartment when ear 114 is released. Severalrepetitions of the reciprocating movement of the retracting membertherefore cause the cover sheet to be pulled completely into therearward casing compartment as the successive teeth of the retractingmember engage the ends of the stiffening bar.

After the forwardmost film unit has been exposed, member 90 engages theends of its stiffening bar and moves it into engagement with thesprocket teeth or roller 76 in the same manner just described.Accordingly, the processing fluid pod 28 attached to the carrier sheetof that film unit is drawn into and through the nip between roller 76and shoe 78, which causes the pod to be ruptured so that the processingfluid is extruded between the two sheets of the image-recording section16 and is distributed between those sheets by the roller and the shoe.As the leading end of the image-recording section emerges through thepressure nip, its inherent stiffness causes it to separate progressivelyfrom the carrier sheet and to continue traveling in a straight pathbetween the two guide shoes. An appropriate slot is provided in thecamera housing in alignment with the pressure nip to allow theimagerecording section to emerge to the exterior of the camera. Theprocessing fluid pod, however, is permanently attached to the carriersheet and is therefore separated from the image-recording section andcarried around roller 76 between the guide shoes. Because trap sheet 32is also permanently attached to the carrier sheet, it likewise separatesfrom the image-recording section when the latter has passed entirelythrough the pressure nip, so that the trap also remains with the carriersheet. The stiffening bar at the leading end of the carrier sheet entersopening 72 in the film pack casing forwardly of the cover sheetpreviously moved into the storage compartment and is pushed along thecover sheet behind springs 104. By the time the carrier sheet has movedbeyond engagement with the sprockets of roller 76, its stiffening bar isin a position at which it can be engaged by the claw teeth of theretracting member, which is reciprocated several times in the mannerdescribed above to move the carrier sheet entirely into the storagecompartment. Thus, it will be apparent that each film unit, in turn, isexposed and processed and that all of the excess components of the filmunits are returned to the film pack casing, which is then discarded.

ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENTS Illustrative alternative embodiments of thepresent invention are depicted in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. In FIG. 4, theleading end of the carrier or card is provided with a thickened endportion 40 molded or otherwise formed integral with, and from the samematerial as, the carrier or card. In FIG. 5, the leading end of thecarrier or card is folded back upon itself one or more times at 42 tostiffen the leading end. In FIG. 6, the bar is defined by a molded orextruded strip of stiff or rigid plastic material 44 that is thickerthan the carrier or card, and that is cemented or otherwise permanentlysecured to its leading end with the additional thickness extending onlyto one side of the carrier. In all such cases, however, the stiffeningmeans must be sufficiently rigid to prevent substantial transversebending when the lateral ends thereof are engaged for feeding theleading end of the film unit between the roller and shoe, and then fordirecting it in an arcuate path as described in connection with thepreferred embodiment.

Although the foregoing disclosure describes the various operativeelements of the film transporting and processing devices as beingmanually actuated independently of each other, it should be obvious thatthose devices can be operated automatically in properly coordinatedsynchronism by means of an appropriate mechanism powered either by asingle manually operable element or by an electric drive motor or thelike. It should also be recognized that the stiffening bar need notextend beyond the lateral edges of the carrier sheet to which it isattached but can terminate flush with those edges, in which case thesupplemental feeder member is adapted to engage the trailing edge of thestiffening bar forwardly of the carrier sheet. Furthermore, although itis preferable to provide the carrier sheets with perforations engageableby sprocket teeth on a driving roller, the same type of stiffening barcould also be used advantageously with a film unit that is driventhrough the pressure nip by frictional means alone. By way of exampleonly, the pressure-applying mechanism could comprise two driven rollersfor pushing the film unit through their nip and into engagement with theguide or deflecting shoes 86. In such case, where the leading end of thecarrier is pushed into engagement with and deflected entirely by theguide or deflecting shoes, with no assistance from sprocket teeth, thestiff or rigid properties of the bar will become even more important.

Many advantageous features of the present invention should now beapparent. The transverse stiffening bar permits longitudinal bending ofthe carrier or card while preventing any substantial transverse bending.When the bar comprises a ferromagnetic material, such as low carbonsteel, it can be handled with magnetic fixtures. This can be especiallyimportant when the unit is moved at high speed during its manufacture.When placed in an assemblage or cartridge, the bar providesdimensionally stable means for accurately locating the film unit, andespecially those portions to be first engaged by the camera feedingmembers. During feeding and guiding or deflecting, the bar providesstrong engageable surfaces that will not be damaged by the cameramechanisms and that are less likely to jam due to undesirabledistortions. Perhaps most important, however, the bar will not how byany substantial amount during feeding or transporting as describedabove. Thus, when the carrier is moved in an arcuate path to establish asemi-cylindrical configuration, the leading end of the carrier will notflex out of parallelism with that configuration. Similarly, thetransverse extent defined by the leading end will not shorten clue tobending. This permits the use of transversely spaced pairs of camerafeeding and/or deflecting members that need engage the film unit orcarrier only at its opposite lateral edges without fear that the engagedportions will fall short between such pairs of feeding or deflectingmembers.

It also should be apparent that the film unit could take other forms orconfigurations. One particularly important example is disclosed in mycommonly as signed US. Pat. application Ser. No. 268,932, entitledPHOTOGRAPHIC FILM UNIT, filed on even date herewith.

While the terms longitudinal and transverse bending are somewhatdifficult to define in words, it is believed their meanings in thepresent application will be entirely clear from the above descriptionconsidered in connection with FIG. 10.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference tothe illustrated preferred and alternative embodiments thereof, but itwill be understood that variations and modifications can beeffectedwithin the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A self-processing film unit defining a longitudinal dimension and atransverse dimension normal to said longitudinal dimension, said filmunit being movable longitudinally for initiating its processing andcomprisan image-recording portion including a layer of photosensitivematerial for recording a photographically useful image, thephotographically useful image being processable by a processing fluid toestablish a visibly presentable image; and

means releasably coupled to said image-recording portion for supplyingthe processing fluid to said image-recording portion, said supplyingmeans ineluding a processing-fluid container having a trailing endadjacent to said image-recording portion and a leadingend opposite tosaid trailing end, said supplying means being bendable longitudinally ofsaid film unit when said container is substantially empty and includinga narrow, substantially rigid portion extending transversely of saidfilm unit adjacent to said leading end of said container, saidsubstantially rigid portion resisting bending of said supplying meanstransversely of said film unit adjacent to said leading end withoutsubstantially interfering with bending of said supplying meanslongitudinally of said film unit.

2. A self-processing film unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein saidtransverse dimension defines an overall film unit width, and whereinsaid substantially rigid portion extends transversely of said film unitthroughout said width and extends longitudinally of said film unit bynot more than 0.250 inches to prevent said sub stantially rigid portionfrom substantially interfering with said bending of said supplying meanslongitudinally of said film unit. i

3. A selflprocessing film unit as claimed in claim 2 wherein saidsubstantially rigid portion extends longitudinally of said film unit bynot substantially more than 0.150 inches.

4. A self-processing film unit comprising:

an integral image-recording section including a photosensitive elementfor recording a processable latent image and a process sheet permanentlyattached to said photosensitive element for aiding in distributing afluid between said photosensitive element and said process sheet toeffect processing of the latent image;

a fluid supplying mechanism for introducing the fluid between saidphotosensitive element and said process sheet; and

a carrier sheet releasably coupling said fluid supplying mechanism tosaid image-recording section, said carrier sheet defining a longitudinaldirection in which said carrier sheet is easily bendable and atransverse direction in which said carrier sheet is not easily bendableat least in a transversely extending portion thereof adjacent to saidfluid supplying mechanism, said transversely extending portion includingan elongate, relatively rigid member extending transversely of saidcarrier sheet adja cent to said fluid supplying mechanism, to enablesaid carrier sheet to be easily bent in said longitudinal direction, soas to follow an arcuate path, without bending in said transversedirection at least in said transversely extending portion.

5. A self-processing film unit comprising:

an image-recording section including a photosensitive element forrecording a processable latent image and a second element permanentlyattached to said photosensitive element for aiding in distributing aprocessing composition over said photosensitive element to effectprocessing of the latent image; and

a carrier sheet removably coupled to said imagerecording section forfacilitating longitudinal film unit movement, said carrier sheetincluding a main portion that is resiliently flexible to permit bendingof said carrier sheet into an arcuate configuration, said carrier sheetfurther including a leading end portion defining a transverse film unitdimension, said leading end portion having an elongate, substantiallyinflexible element extending transversely thereacross to preventshortening of said transverse dimension during said bending of saidcarrier sheet into said arcuate configuration.

6. A self-processing film unit as claimed in claim 5 further comprisinga container for exhaustably providing a supply of processing compositionto said image recording section between said photosensitive and secondelements, said container having a trailing end removably coupled to saidimage-recording section and a leading end opposite to said trailing end,said container being permanently attached to and, when exhausted,bendable with said main portion of said carrier sheet to facilitateremoval of said container together with said carrier sheet from saidimage-recording section, said leading end of said container beingdisposed adjacent to said leading end portion of said carrier sheet topermit bending of said container together with said bending of saidcarrier sheet without shortening said transverse dimension.

7. A self-processing film unit as claimed in claim wherein saidelongate, substantially inflexible element comprises a narrow stiffeningbar permanently attached to said leading end portion of said carriersheet.

8. A self-processing film unit as claimed in claim 7 wherein saidstiffening bar extends transversely across said leading end portionthrough at least said transverse dimension, and wherein said stiffeningbar extends longitudinally of said film unit by less than .250 inches.

9. A photographic film unit comprising:

an image-recording section for recording a latent image that isprocessable to establish a visibly presentable image, saidimage-recording section defining a leading end;

a supply mechanism for applying a processing fluid to saidimage-recording section to effect processing of the latent image andestablishment of the visibly presentable image, said supply mechanismincluding a container of the processing fluid;

a flexible carrier permanently attached to said container and releasablycoupled to said imagerecording section, said carrier defining a leadingend adjacent to said container, a longitudinal direction extending fromsaid leading end of said carrier toward said leading end of saidimage-recording section, and a transverse direction substantially normalto said longitudinal direction; and

means including a stiffening element extending across said leading endof said carrier adjacent to said container for permitting longitudinalflexing of said carrier into a generally semicylindrical configurationwhile preventing any substantial transverse flexing of said leading endof said carrier out of parallelism with said generally semi-cylindricalconfiguration.

10. A self-processing film unit as claimed in claim 9 wherein saidstiffening element comprises a substantially rigid bar extendingentirely across said leading end of said carrier.

11. A self-processing film unit as claimed in claim 10 wherein saidrigid bar is formed of molded plastic material.

12. A self-processing film unit as claimed in claim 10 wherein saidrigid bar is formed of ferromagnetic material for facilitating handlingof said film unit by magnetic means.

13. A self-processing film unit comprising:

an image-recording section including a photosensitive sheet forrecording a latent image processable by a processing fluid and a secondsheet that is superposed with said photosensitive sheet duringprocessing of the latent image, said image-recording section defining alongitudinal direction in which it is movable for initiating processingof the latent image;

a resiliently flexible carrier sheet coupled to said image-recordingsection for facilitating handling of said image-recording section as itis moved longitudinally for processing, said carrier sheet including aleading end portion and a remainder portion; and

means including a stiffening member extending transversely across saidleading end portion of said carrier sheet for rendering said leading endportion substantially more rigid than said remainder portion and fortending to maintain said leading end portion in substantially flatcondition.

2. A self-processing film unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein saidtransverse dimension defines an overall film unit width, and whereinsaid substantially rigid portion extends transversely of said film unitthroughout said width and extends longitudinally of said film unit bynot more than 0.250 inches to prevent said substantially rigid portionfrom substantially interfering with said bending of said supplying meanslongitudinally of said film unit.
 3. A self-processing film unit asclaimed in claim 2 wherein said substantially rigid portion extendslongitudinally of said film unit by not substantially more than 0.150inches.
 4. A self-processing film unit comprising: an integralimage-recording section including a photosensitive element for recordinga processable latent image and a process sheet permanently attached tosaid photosensitive element for aiding in distributing a fluid betweensaid photosensitive element and said process sheet to effect processingof the latent image; a fluid supplying mechanism for introducing thefluid between said photosensitive element and said process sheet; and acarrier sheet releasably coupling said fluid supplying mechanism to saidimage-recording section, said carrier sheet defining a longitudinaldirection in which said carrier sheet is easily bendable and atransverse direction in which said carrier sheet is not easily bendableat least in a transversely extending portion thereof adjacent to saidfluid supplying mechanism, said transversely extending portion includingan elongate, relatively rigid member extending transversely of saidcarrier sheet adjacent to said fluid supplying mechanism, to enable saidcarrier sheet to be easily bent in said longitudinal direction, so as tofollow an arcuate path, without bending in said transverse direction atleast in said transversely extending portion.
 5. A self-processing filmunit comprising: an image-recording section including a photosensitiveelement for recording a processable latent image and a second elementpermanently attached to said photosensitive element for aiding indistributing a processing composition over said photosensitive elementto effect processing of the latent image; and a carrier sheet removablycoupled to said image-recording section for facilitating longitudinalfilm unit movement, said carrier sheet including a main portion that isresiliently flexible to permit bending of said carrier sheet into anarcuate configuration, said carrier sheet further including a leadingend portion defining a transverse film unit dimension, said leading endportion having an elongate, substantially inflexible element extendingtransversely thereacross to prevent shortening of said transversedimension during said bending of said carrier sheet into said arcuateconfiguration.
 6. A self-processing film unit as claimed in claim 5further comprising a container for exhaustably providing a supply ofprocessing composition to said image-recording section between saidphotosensitive and second elements, said container having a trailing endremovably coupled to said image-recording section and a leading endopposite to said trailing end, said container being permanently attachedto and, when exhausted, bendable with said main portion of said carriersheet to facilitate removal of said container together with said carriersheet from said image-recording section, said leading end of saidcontainer being disposed adjacent to said leading end portion of saidcarrier sheet to permit bending of said container together with saidbending of said carrier sheet without shortening said transversedimension.
 7. A self-processing film unit as claimed in claim 5 whereinsaid elongate, substantially inflexible element comprises a narrowstiffening bar permanently attached to said leading end portion of saidcarrier sheet.
 8. A self-processing film unit as claimed in claim 7wherein said stiffening bar extends transversely across said leading endportion through at least said transverse dimension, and wherein saidstiffening bar extends longitudinally of said film unit by less than.250 inches.
 9. A photographic film unit comprising: an image-recordingsection for recording a latent image that is processable to establish avisibly presentable image, said image-recording section defining aleading end; a supply mechanism for applying a processing fluid to saidimage-recording section to effect processing of the latent image andestablishment of the visibly presentable image, said supply mechanismincluding a container of the processing fluid; a flexible carrierpermanently attached to said container and releasably coupled to saidimage-recording section, said carrier defining a leading end adjAcent tosaid container, a longitudinal direction extending from said leading endof said carrier toward said leading end of said image-recording section,and a transverse direction substantially normal to said longitudinaldirection; and means including a stiffening element extending acrosssaid leading end of said carrier adjacent to said container forpermitting longitudinal flexing of said carrier into a generallysemicylindrical configuration while preventing any substantialtransverse flexing of said leading end of said carrier out ofparallelism with said generally semi-cylindrical configuration.
 10. Aself-processing film unit as claimed in claim 9 wherein said stiffeningelement comprises a substantially rigid bar extending entirely acrosssaid leading end of said carrier.
 11. A self-processing film unit asclaimed in claim 10 wherein said rigid bar is formed of molded plasticmaterial.
 12. A self-processing film unit as claimed in claim 10 whereinsaid rigid bar is formed of ferromagnetic material for facilitatinghandling of said film unit by magnetic means.
 13. A self-processing filmunit comprising: an image-recording section including a photosensitivesheet for recording a latent image processable by a processing fluid anda second sheet that is superposed with said photosensitive sheet duringprocessing of the latent image, said image-recording section defining alongitudinal direction in which it is movable for initiating processingof the latent image; a resiliently flexible carrier sheet coupled tosaid image-recording section for facilitating handling of saidimage-recording section as it is moved longitudinally for processing,said carrier sheet including a leading end portion and a remainderportion; and means including a stiffening member extending transverselyacross said leading end portion of said carrier sheet for rendering saidleading end portion substantially more rigid than said remainder portionand for tending to maintain said leading end portion in substantiallyflat condition.